Your Weight

Timeless Fitness Tip

The Epidemic of Obesity

Obesity is increasing at epidemic proportions in the U.S. With it comes greater risk of adult onset diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. More than half of all adults in America are overweight. Obesity accounts for more than 300,000 premature deaths in the U.S. each year.

Over-weight people who lose just 5 to 10 percent of their body weight can significantly reduce their risk for these health problems. This means that if you weigh 200 pounds, losing just 10 to 20 pounds may help dramatically.

Calculate Your Weight Ratio

Check your waist to hip ratio to determine if you need to lose some pounds.

To calculate your weight ratio, measure around the smallest part of your waist with a tape measure.

Then, measure around the largest part of your hips. Divide the waist measurement by the hip measurement.

According to the National Institutes of Health, women with waist-to-hip ratios of more than 0.8 or men with waist to hip ratios of more than 1.0 are "apples". They are at increased health risk because of their fat distribution.

For men, the ratio should be less than 1.0.

For women it should be less than 0.8.

The National Institutes of Health says those who have ratios higher than that may have an increased risk for diabetes, heart disease and hypertension. In addition to where a person carries his or her excess weight, body fat percentages have been associated with the heightened health risks.

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Disclaimer: The material on this Web site is not intended to replace advice from your doctor or fitness professional. Please consult with your physician before beginning any fitness program or fat or weight reduction program. FitnessandFreebies.com takes no responsibility for individual results, or any claim made by a third party.